Bosc's Monitor and Climate

[jarich]

So I have a question I thought I would put to the group for discussion. Again, I am not any kind of authority, just a researcher all my life.

I've been doing more research on the areas that Boscs come from and how best to mimic this in their captive environment. The question I have is how did the prevalent husbandry regarding basking temps come into play? The area of Africa these animals come from is very equatorial. The temps are pretty consistent year round, and stay at around 85 degrees. At night it gets down to no cooler than 70 and in day gets no warmer than 90. Yet we are always told they need a basking temp of at least 130 if not up to 150!

Now I know there is a difference between ambient air and basking temps, but it's not that much. Again, I'm keeping my basking temp at 130 for now as I defer to those that have kept them for years. But it begs the question, what are we doing wrong in our husbandry practices that we need alter their captive environment so drastically? I can't think of any other animal where this is true. Is this perhaps tied to the high fat diet that many people feed them (ie mice)?

Again, I'm just trying to start a discussion, not criticizing anyone's practices. I've only had mine for a few months!

[stephanbakir]

Just going to toss this in, a few days ago the ambient air temperature outside my house was 61 degrees, the SURFACE temperature of my porch was 127 degrees. The animals have the choice to sit in the sun, and assuming the ambient is 85 degrees I wouldn't think that 150 degrees in the sun is far fetched. The air temp was 61 degrees in the sun, in the shade it was 46 degrees.

[infernalis]

In a nutshell, these high basking temps were thought to aid in the digestion of the improper diets.

To quote Frank Retes (I don't like the guy, he's a real tool)

"You can feed them nails if the temps are high enough"

The climate in the Savannah varies by "monsoon season" very wet, plains flooded, prawns and crayfish abundant, hence the fact that these are found in the stomach contents of wild monitors.

The dry season, hot and dry... diet shifts to millipedes, locusts, scorpions and beetles.

[jarich]

That's interesting Stephen, I hadn't noticed that high of a difference normally. Is it due to your porch (ie painted dark so it soaks up a lot of heat)? Boscs are pretty lightly coloured so I'm wondering what their retention would be.

Ya, that's what I'm worried about Wayne. It seems like we are maybe bumping up their temps to account for the high fat diet. Sort of like giving your kids speed to compensate for feeding them hamburgers. Their natural diet of mostly millipedes sits at about 5-6% fat, crickets are about double, but mice are around 25-30%.

[stephanbakir]

Dubias are too cheap to breed for anyone to have an excuse for feeding their bosc mice and nails.

[infernalis]

In a nutshell, I can take chomper outside for a whole day.. amount of time spent basking?? Zero, Nada..none.

He's way too busy digging, hunting, foraging, frolicking, marking the territory and swimming to stop and bask.

I think another factor is that even with a big 4 foot by 8 foot BOX, the poor things get bored and start laying around.

[millertime89]

Wayne beat me too it, I have a feeling the higher temps have a result of the decreased activity in captivity. The higher temps offset the lower metabolism. Something else to consider regarding air temp vs surface temp. Go outside and walk on some light colored concrete when its 90 degress and sunny outside. Its HOT. Now that I have a temp gun I'm gonna check just how hot next summer.